New Syracuse Crunch goalie Bobkov gets head start on earning a spot for next year

Courtesy of the Anaheim DucksRookie goalie Igor Bobkov, who joined the Syracuse Crunch on Tuesday, could be standing tall in net for the team next season.

Rookie goalie Igor Bobkov said he’s dropped 25 pounds this season, and Syracuse Crunch goalie coach Eli Wilson treated the newcomer like he still needed to shed an equal amount after practice on Tuesday.

Wilson kept his project on the ice for several extra minutes of tutoring, a puckless workout that included short-burst movements from side-to-side and up and down.

It was a big load to move, considering Bobkov stands about 6-foot-6 and still weighs near 215 pounds.

“I don’t know why, but when you come to a team, the first practice is always hard,” Bobkov said. “It’s like a test. It’s new drills, new movement.”

Bobkov, a third-round pick by Anaheim in 2009, joined the team after his junior season with London of the OHL concluded. Another top prospect, center Peter Holland, a 2009 Ducks first-rounder, also arrived in Syracuse after his year with Guelph of the OHL ended. Both are on tryout deals, and could be on the Crunch roster next year.

Bobkov was 4-10-0 with a 4.12 goals-against average and .874 save percentage for London this season, while Holland posted 37 goals and 51 assists for Guelph. Syracuse coach Mark Holick said Holland will play against Norfolk on Thursday and that Bobkov will take the ice for at least one of the Crunch’s final three games of the season.

“We’ll see what happens. We’re certainly going to see if he can play at this level,” Holick said.

Bobkov, a Russia native who is fluent in English, is a self-admitted sugar and desert fan who dropped a lot of his excess baggage early this season.

The obvious early scouting report on the towering netminder is that he takes up a lot of space. Bobkov said that can work both ways.

“Sometimes it helps, sometimes not,” Bobkov said. “You can catch (high shots). But it’s very hard to catch pucks when they go on the ice.

Bobkov and his Russian teammates gained international attention for a couple of reasons at the World Juniors tournament in Buffalo. Russia won gold by rallying for a 5-3 win over Canada in the final after trailing 3-0 entering the final 20 minutes. Bobkov kept Russia in the game by coming on in relief and stopping all 20 shots he faced.

“When the game is finished, I can’t believe it happened,” Bobkov said. “I tried not to think anything about (the deficit), just catch the puck. It’s like a dream, like a fairy tale.”

Bobkov was also part of a crew that celebrated that accomplishment with gusto. While he went back to his OHL squad, his Russian teammates were kicked off their return flight in Buffalo because they were still too inebriated and rowdy from their celebration.

“Of course, maybe everybody was crazy. But it was unbelievable (winning),” he said. “In Russia, they talk about the (partying). Some people think it’s funny. Some people talk about it seriously.”

Shortly after Wilson’s after-school lesson ended, Bobkov was clear on which approach he’s taking toward his new career.

“You try to work hard. It’s a pro league,” he said “It’s one step away from the NHL. You must work hard.”